Charging means for oil tanks



April 27, 1926. 1

W. J. PETER CHARGING MEANS FOR OIL TANKS Filed March 27, 1925 7 II n a/JZW Y M M 1; ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM 3'. PETER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CHARGING MEANS FOR OIL TANKS.

Application filed March 27, 1925. Serial No. 18,788.

new and useful Improvements in Charging I Means for Oil Tanks; and I do hereby declare the following-to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to hydraulic systems for storing, handling .and delivering oil, and more particularly to means for filling such systems with oil and automatically controlling the quantity of oil introduced.

In hydraulic systems for storing, handling and delivering oil, the storage tank is always filled with liquid, oil and water, the oil overlying the water. In dispensing, the oil is forced out through a pipe in the top of the tank by forcing water in through the bottom. In filling the tank with oil the pressure is reversed, the oil being forced in through the top of the tank and the water out through the bottom and to waste. In order to prevent oil from following the water into the drain some means must be provided, either for indicating that the tank has been filled, or for automatically arresting the flow.

It has been proposed to place a float valve in the water discharge pipe at the bottom of the tank, designed to close automatically when oil passes. With such a valve, however, a certain amount of oil must always pass into'the drain before the valve can close and moreover, a valve situated at the bottom of the tank is inaccessible and cannot be easily reached for repairs or adjustment. Various means have also been proposed for automatically closing the oil inlet valve normally lying out of the path of flow, and

operated by means of a float situated near the bottom of the tank designed to float in water but sink in .oil the entire control ing drawing, in which Figure 1 is a mechanism being situated wholly within the tank. When during the filling operation the oil level reaches this float, it sinks, moves the valve into the path of flow and seats it, thus shutting ofi further influx of oil. Later during the delivery of the oil in normal operation the oil level rises and the float, moving upward, opens the valve. In order to prevent the oil being forced out through the intake,'I place a check valve within it, although the same result could be attained by forcibly holding the valve closed until time for refilling.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of it in the accompaany- 1agrammatic elevation of a hydraulic oil storing and delivering system equipped with the automatic filling control valve of the present invention. Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the control valve showing the valve in open position, and Figure 3 is a vertical section similar to Figure 2, but taken at right-angles to the latter and showin the valve closed.

ferring first to Figure 1, the storage tank is indicated by reference numeral 1.

This is the ordinary cylindrical storage tank used in most systems and is commonly placed within an excavation with its longitudinal axis horizontal. The oil is introduced through a pipe 2 equipped with a filling plug 14 and discharged through a riser 3 avmg a valve 4 both entering the top of the tank as indicated, while the water is introduced and discharged through a pipe 5 which enters the tank at the bottom. In the system illustrated the water pressure is obtained by maintaining a constanthead in the riser 6 which is connected with the pipe 5-through a. valve 7 The upper end of the riser 6 terminates in a float box 8 into which water is fed from any convenient source, such'as the city water mains, through a feederpipe -9,.thelevel of.the water in the float box being automaticaily maintained constant by means of a float valve 10. A valve 11 placed between the pipe 5 and the drain 12 controls the connection between the tank and the drain. Valves 7 and 11 are preferablyoperated simultaneously by means of a valve rod 13 and the connections are so designed that when valve-7 is opened, valve 11 is closed, and vice-versa.

The system just described is commonly known as a constant head hydraulic system and, of itself, forms no part of the present invention. I shall, however, describe briefly the manner in which this system operates. During the filling of the tank, valve 7 is closed and valve 11 opened, thus connecting in water and sink in oil, so that the the water pipe 5 with the drain 12. Oil is then forced into the pipe 2 and forces the water out through the ipe 5 to the drain. During delivery of oil t e valve 7 is opened and the valve 11 closed so that the pressure of the constant head maintained in riser 6 by the float valve 10 forces oil up'the riser 3 and out. lVhen the tank is not in actual use, valve 7 is preferabl closed and valve 11 opened so that the'tan is not under pressure. The valve 4 thus acts merely as a locking means and does not necessarily form a part of the operating mechanism.

The present invention relates to the intake control valve and its attendant mechanism which I shall now describe in. detail. The oil is introduced into the tank 1 through the pipe'2 after removing thefilling plug 14 and attaching a hose from a tank wagon or other source of supply. From the pipe 2 the oil passes through a valve housing 15 integral with a man-hole cover 20, throu h an intake aperture 16 and into the t -Mounted within the valve housing 15 1s a valve 17 adapted, when closed, to be seated upon a valve seat 18 surrounding the intake aperture 16. The valvevis provided, on its upper face, with an integral guide pin 19 which moves within a ideway 21 m" a cap 22 which is threade y mounted upon the valve housing 15. The upper end of this cap is provided with an air relief pipe 23 controlled by means of a valve 24. The valve when open lies out of the path of flow as illustrated in Fi re 2.

The valve 17 is operated by means of a float 25 pivotally mounted near the bottom of the tank upon a vertical angle bar 26 depending from the man-hole cover 20. The float25 and the valve 17 are operatively connected by means of the float stem 27, pivoted upon the angle 26 at 28, a vertical connecting rod 29, a pivoted arm 31 and a link 32. The float 25 is designed to float osition of the valve 17 is determined by the position of the 'oil and water level. Withm the pipe 2 and just beyond the valve housin 15 is a check valve 33 which effective y prevents outward flow of oil through the pipe 2.

The intake control valve functions as follows: When the tank has been emptied of o l (being then substantially filled with wa ter) and a fresh supply is to be'added, the filling plu 14 is removed and the supply .hose attac ed to the intake pipe 2. As the level reaches the float 25, the float follows,

the oil down and automatically seats the valve 17 by moving it into the path of flow before the oil level reaches the water outlet, absolutely preventing further influx of oil. There is therefore no overflow at the filling plug and no oil passes through the drain and to waste; As soon as the direction of flow is reversed for delivery purposes,'water being forced in through pipe 5 and oil out through the oil discharge pipe 3, the float 25 rises with the rising oil and water level and opens the valve 17, the check valve 33 then preventing outflow of oil through the intake. The valve 17 is thus in readiness for refilling when the time comes.

The valve operating mechanism including.

the float is placed wholly within the tank so that there is no necessity for stufling boxes, which, in order to remain leak-proof under the operating 1 pressure, would have to be so tight that the oat, acting only on the slight differential buoyancy between oil and water, could not function efliciently. By stating thatthe valve control mechanism is situated wholly within the tank I do not mean that the immediate connection with the valve necessarily lies within the tank. It is clear that the valve housing 15 might be made :considerabl longer so that the link 32 would extend beyond the upper wall of the tank. Its position would, nevertheless, be effectively within-the tank'and always immersed within the liquid in the tank.

In the interest of clearness, I have illustrated the fillin control valve of the present invention insta ed in connection with a constant head delivery system. There is, however, no essential relation between the means for applying the pressure and the filling mechanism, and the latter could be used in systems equipped with other pressure applying means, such for example, as the one disclosed in my 00- ending application, Serial No. 18,782 file concurrently herewit As illustrated in Fi ures 2 and 3, I prefferabl make the va ve housin integral with t e man-hole cover 20 which is designed to fit the standard man-hole on tanks of this character. The float supporting angle 26 is also mounted upon the lower face of this man-hole cover so that the entire valve and its operating mechanism can be installed and removed as a unit.

I claim;

1. In a hydraulic oil storage and delivery system in which oil is delivered through an oil discharge pipe near the top of a tank by means of water forced in near the bottom, the combination of an oil intake near the top of the. tank, a water discharge near the bottom of the tank, a valve in the in: take,'a float near the bottom of the tank designed to float in water and sink in oil, a system of levers within the tank connecting the float and the valve so that when during filling of the tank with oil the oil level reaches the float the valve is closed and when during delivery of oil the oil level passes above the float, the float acting through a system of levers opens the valve, and a check valve in the intake preventing outflow of oil through the intake during delivizry of oil..

2. In a hydraulic oil storage and delivery system, the combination of a tank, an oil intake near the to of the tank, a water discharge near the bottom of the tank, a valve in the intake, 8. bar depending from the top of the tank to a point adjacent the bottom, a float designed to float in water and sink in oil, a stem on the float pivotally mounted upon the .bar near the bottom of the tank,

an arm pivotally mounted near the top of the bar, means connecting one end of the arm with the valve, and means connecting the other end of the arm with the float stem, the

parts being so arranged that when the oil level reaches the float the valve is closed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM J. PETER. 

